Cheetahs

Cheetahs still looking for Super Rugby sponsor

With just over a month before the start of the new Super Rugby season the Cheetahs are still looking for a main sponsor for the team.

South African telecommunications company Vodacom cut back on it’s sponsorship of rugby in South Africa and the Cheetahs and the Stormers have both lost the company as a sponsor.

President of the Free State Rugby Union (FSRU) Harold Verster says that the Union has several sources of income and also has a series of fellow sponsors so it will be business as usual while they wait for a new sponsor.

The Cheetahs have been in talks with new main sponsors for months but Verster is hoping that an agreement will be reached soon.

“Things are looking very good. A lot of attention is paid daily to the main sponsor and we will hopefully, within the next few weeks, finalise something,” he told Beeld.

The Cheetahs start their Super 15 Rugby tournament on February the 19th against the Sharks and Venter says that starting the tournament without a sponsor is serious but not grounds for everything to come to a halt.

There has been much speculation about the future of the Cheetahs and the Lions in Super Rugby after SARugby vowed to include the Southern Kings in the tournament from 2013 but Verster says income like that from SA Rugby, advertisements, boxes, television rights and fellow sponsors all contribute to keep the wheels rolling.

“We have already signed a lot of fellow sponsors. (The telecommunications company) remains our cellphone sponsor, while LG is also a sponsor. “

“Konica Minolta will again be linked to amateur rugby in the Free State and SAB is the beer sponsor for the next five years. PVM sponsors our supplements and we hope to again finalise a sponsorship from them.”

“Then we also have a very big clothing sponsorship with Puma, which will be announced officially on February 12.”

“As usual, Kloppers is also a fellow sponsor and we are negotiating with Absa, who are sponsoring our academy. Absa would like to continue with their sponsorship,” says Verster.

The ground where the Cheetahs play their matches is still using the telecommunications company’s name and the new main sponsor will have the option of taking over the naming rights.